Hybrid tea rose plant named &#39;Pink Promise&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new variety of Hybrid Tea suitable for garden decoration, having flowers of pink coloration.

CLASSIFICATION

The present invention relates to a new Rosa hybrida plant.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

The new plant has the varietal denomination ‘PINK PROMISE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Hybrid Tea Rose. It has as its seed parent the variety known as an unknown seedling and as its pollen parent the variety known as an unknown seedling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the features which distinguish the new variety from other presently available and commercial rose cultivars known to the inventor are the combination of characteristics: The plant is an upright growing cultivar, vigorous in nature and form, suitable for outdoor garden decoration.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by budding as performed in Kern County Calif., shows that the foregoing and other distinguishing characteristics come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding asexual propagations. ‘Pink Promise’ may be asexually propagated by cuttings, budding and grafting. The budding and grafting successfully occurred on the plant/rootstock Rosa hybrida cv. ‘Dr. Huey’.

COMPARISON WITH THE CLOSEST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CULTIVAR

The new variety may be distinguished from its closest commercially available cultivar ‘Queen Elizabeth’ by the following combination of characteristics: ‘Pink Promise’ is a lighter shade of pink in the budded stage, the foliage is a lighter shade of green than ‘Queen Elizabeth.’

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATION

The accompanying photograph illustrates the new variety and shows the flowering thereof from bud to full bloom depicted in color as nearly correct as it is possible to make in a color illustration of the character. Throughout this specification, color references and/or values are based upon the Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society (1966) except where common terms of color definition are employed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following description is of 3 to 4 year-old rose plants of the new variety grown outdoors La Verne, Calif. in the month of May. Phenotypic expression may vary with environmental, cultural and climatic conditions, as well as differences in conditions of light and soil.

-   Flower: The new variety sometimes usually bears its flowers singly,     usually in clusters of two to three or more several per stem.     Flowers may be borne clusters on strong long stems (about 7 to about     9 cm.). Outdoors, the plant blooms abundantly and nearly     continuously during the growing season. The flowers have strong     spicy fragrance. -   Bud: The peduncle is about 1 to about 2 cm. in length, average     caliper (about ¼ to about ½ cm. in diameter), and usually erect. It     is almost usually smooth, with some stipitate glands, and few hairs     and prickles. Peduncle color is near between 138 a and 138 b     sometimes suffused, especially on the side exposed to the sun, with     near between 138 b and 138 c. Before the calyx breaks, the bud is     about 3½ to about 4½ cm. in diameter at the widest point, about 4 to     about 5 cm. in length, and pointed in shape with a conspicuous neck.     The surface of the bud bears some appendages and glandular bloom,     usually with slender bristle-like foliaceous parts extending beyond     the tip of the bud about ½ or more of its length. Bud color is near     between 56 a and 56 b sometimes suffused, especially on the side     exposed to the sun, with near between 56 b and 56 c. The sepals are     about 3¼ to about 3½ cm. in length and about ¾ to about 1 cm. in     width at the widest point. The outer surface color of the sepal is     near between 144 a and 143a sometimes often heavily lightly     suffused, especially on the side exposed to the sun, with near     between 143 a and 143 b. The inner surface color of the sepal is     near between 144 a and 143 a and covered edged with fine wooly     tomentum; sepal margins are lined with some many stipitate glands     and hairs. -   Bloom: When fully open, the bloom ranges from about 13 to about     15 cm. in diameter. Petalage is double with about 25 to 30 petals     and no petaloids. When partially open, the bloom form is high     centered, and the petals are spiraled with petal edges moderately     somewhat rolled outward. When fully open, the bloom form is very     full, and the petals are tightly cupped with petal edges outward. -   Petals: The substance of the petals is moderately crisp and of     moderately thin to medium thickness, with upper surfaces slightly     satiny to velvety and under surfaces slightly satiny to velvety to     matte. The petals are about 1.2 to about 3.2 cm. in length and about     0.9 to about 4 cm. in width at the widest point. The outer petals     are moderately in shape with apices moderately rounded. The inner     petals are moderately obovate in shape with apices moderately     rounded. -   Opened flower: The under and upper surface color of the outer petals     is near between 62C and 62D. The upper surface color of the outer     petals is near between 62B and 62 C. The under and upper surface     color of the intermediate petals is near between 65 B and 65 C. The     upper surface color of the intermediate petals is near between 65 B     and 65 C. The under and upper surface color of the inner petals is     near between 65 B and 65 C. The upper surface color of the inner     petals is near between 65 B and 65 C. The general tonality of the     newly opened flower is between 65 B and 62 C. -   Male reproductive organs: Stamens are many in number (average     about 100) and are arranged irregularly about the pistils. The     filaments are medium to length (about 1.25 to about 1.50 cm.) most     with anthers. Filaments are near between 17B and 17 C in color. The     anthers are somewhat medium to for the class and all open     approximately at the same time. Anther color is near between 17 C     fading to 18 a. Pollen is moderate to abundant and between 12a and     11 a in color. -   Female reproductive organs: Pistils vary in number (average about     150). The styles are uneven, in length (about 1.25 to about 1.50     cm.), average in caliper, and somewhat loosely separated. Stigma     color is near between 6c and 6 d. Style color is near between 6 b     and 6 c. Ovaries are enclosed in the calyx, although few may     protrude from the calyx. Hips have not been observed on this variety     when grown in La Verne, Calif. -   Foliage: The compound leaves are usually comprised of three to five     leaflets and are borne abundantly in normal quantities. The     five-leaflet leaves are about 2.5 to about 3 cm. in length and about     to about 1.5 cm. in width at the widest point, moderately crisp in     texture, and matte in finish. Their margins are usually somewhat     serrate and irregular. The upper and under surface color of the     mature leaf is near 139 a. The under surface color of the mature     leaf is near 137 b. The upper and under surface color of the young     leaf is near between 137 c and 137 d. The under surface color of the     young leaf is near between 137 b and 137 c, sometimes lightly     heavily suffused with near 137 d. The rachis is somewhat heavy in     caliper and somewhat smooth. The upper side is moderately grooved     with few hairs and stipitate glands and prickles on the edges of the     grooves. The under side of the rachis is moderately smooth rough     with some hairs and stipitate glands and moderately small prickles.     The rachis color is near 147 c. The petiole is average to in caliper     and somewhat smooth. The upper side shallowly grooved with few some     many hairs and stipitate glands and prickles on the edges of the     grooves. The under side of the rachis is somewhat smooth with some     many hairs and stipitate glands and moderately medium prickles. The     petiole is about 1.5 to about 2.5 cm. in length and about 1 mm in     diameter. The petiole color is near between 137 b and 137 c. The     plant displays an average degree of resistance to powdery mildew and     rust as compared to other commercial varieties grown under     comparable conditions in La Verne, Calif. The plant's winter     hardiness and drought/heat tolerance are yet to be determined. -   Growth: The plant has a upright height to tall growth habit (about     150 to about 180 cm. in height and about 100 to about 120 cm. spread     at the widest point), with full branching. It displays vigorous     growth and the canes are of heavy caliper for the class. The color     of the major stems is near between 138 b and 138 c. They bear     several large prickles that are about 1.75 to about 2 cm. in length.     The large prickles are almost straight and hooked slightly downward     with a somewhat medium length to rounded base; prickle color is near     between 11 b. The major stem bears several small prickles of similar     shape and coloration and which are near 11 b in color. 

1. A new and distinct Hybrid Tea rose plant of the variety substantially as described and illustrated herein. 